Michael Shank Racing got both cars inside the top 10
Pontiac
Lexus
Ganassi Racing
Michael Shank Racing
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Pontiac
GAINSCO Pontiac Finishes Second At The Glen
Pontiac takes over DP manufacturer point lead
Watkins Glen, NY, August 8, 2008 -- The GAINSCO Pontiac team of Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney finished second this evening in round 11 of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Crown Royal 200 at Watkins Glen. On the strength of the 99s finish, Pontiac takes over the Daytona Prototype manufacturers points lead.
The two-hour race started under dry conditions. Some eight laps in the rain began to fall on the front stretch of the track. Some teams decided to pit for rains, but the 99 team persevered on slicks. As the changing weather conditions had team's guessing, the 99 guys stayed on slicks and up toward the front.
The drama started on the reconnaissance lap for the GAINSCO/Bob Stallings team. Racing driver Jon Fogarty had a moment on before the green putting the red 99 in the gravel at the Bus Stop. He was extricated and was able to start from his fourth place qualifying position. The duo had the car running as high as second in the race, but were never able to lead. The finish puts Fogarty and Gurney 39 back in the points.
"The conditions were dry for me," Gurney said. "I was running qualifying laps my whole stint. I didn't have anything for the 61. He was too quick all weekend. The 59 was fast at the beginning and he went by me like I wasn't even going. We did everything to hold on to the position. I lost my shift light with five or six laps to go. The wire broke off and was swinging around inside the car. Another good Grand-Am race, close to the end, tough always. To come out of here in second is a good result. It is nice to see the 01 way back there."
Cheever Racing's Christian Fittipaldi started drove the No. 16 Crown Royal Cask No. 16 Pontiac Coyote from the fourth row. Fittipaldi managed to lead three laps before turning over the Antonio Garcia. When Garcia took over the handling of the 16 began to fade. The duo were able to hold on for a sixth place finish which was another good result to go with a second place in the last race at Montreal.
"If this worse we had it was a good day," Garcia said. "The car was not too fast here this week. It had a lot of over steer, the rear was snappy nervous, it was great in the front. I was able to keep the guys behind me, so sixth is ok for us today. Christian was able to lead some laps early so that was good for the team."
Nic Jonsson started the No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola and was able to move up to fourth position from his 12th place starting spot, showing some excellent driving in the early changing conditions. As the weather turned cold later in the race teammate Ricardo Zonta had trouble getting heat in the tires on restarts.
"I think that fifth place is good for us today," Zonta said. "It was hard to keep up the pace with the car that we had today. We had to save fuel and on a fast circuit like this that makes it hard to compete. Also the tires were taking four or five laps to heat up after the restarts and that made it easy for cars to get around me. The cold weather affected us as well, so fifth is not bad today."
The SunTrust team decided to start on rain tires. Michael Valiante was able to pass a lot of cars with the wets and then had to pit again for slicks -- costing the team valuable track position. Valiante turned over to Angelelli who was battling with the 16 car to the end and brought the car home in seventh.
"We knew track position is important here," Angelelli said. "It's everything. That basically cut our chances of winning the race. Then I got behind the 16, which was strong, and I had not enough to overtake him. That's basically it. We were all in agreement that in those conditions we would start on wets. It was a gamble. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. At the end, the car was really fast, so I wonder what would have happened if we didn't have to make that extra stop. I feel bad."
Tracy Krohn had a steady start in the No. 75 Krohn Racing Pontiac Lola. Krohn turned the car over to teammate Eric van de Poele who had the brake problems from qualifying come back. On lap 58 van de Poele was coming into the last turn for the restart and the brakes locked sending him into the wall and nearly flipping the green No. 75. Van de Poele drove the car to the pits and the team retired it.
"The brakes were real loose for me," van de Poele said. "I had a big problem going into the Bus Stop and ended up hitting the guard rail. I then pitted for tires and to put a bigger Gurney wing on the car. We had to try and get the car more stable. Going into the last turn on the restart the brakes again locked up and sent me into the wall."
The No. 4 AT&T Childress-Howard Motorsports Pontiac Crawford was making its first run of the season with Andy Lally taking the start. Lally experienced some suspension problems that made the car a handful in the rain. He turned the wheel over to sportscar legend Andy Wallace who experienced drive-line issues and retired the car on lap 42.
"Andy said that the car made a big noise and then he lost drive, I think it was something with the transmission drive-line," Lally said. "During my stint for the start we lost a shim in the suspension which really made the car unstable. Together with the off and on rain that made it a handful in the early going."
Jim Matthews started the No. 91 Riley-Matthews Pontiac Riley from the seventh row only to have a spinning car in turn one end his day some 200 yards into the race. The No. 91 suffered severe right front end damage forcing the team to retire the car without completing a single lap.
The Pontiac Grand-Am Rolex Series DP teams will be on track next at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, August 23.
Lexus
Changing weather conditions caught up to the #01 Ganassi Lexus and the result was a 13th place finish in Friday’s Crown Royal 200 at Watkins Glen and the end of the team’s record top-10 streak at 29 consecutive races.
After qualifying fifth on Friday, Memo Rojas quickly moved up to third on the first lap and then claimed the second position for a short stint early as the race started in wet conditions. Unfortunately, as the track began to dry, Rojas fell back quickly. He eventually stopped to change to slick tires, losing a lap and falling back to 18th-place. Things took an even greater turn for the worse at that point, as the rain began to resume on the first lap after the team exited the pits. Rojas regained a number of positions up to 14th, but eventually spun, losing a second lap.
Shortly afterward, Rojas pitted just past the 30-minute mark of the race with teammate Scott Pruett assuming the driving duties in 18th-place now three laps down. The veteran eventually made up one lap, but could gain just five positions through the remainder of the event to place 13th – the team’s worst showing in more than two years.
Despite the disappointing finish, Pruett and Rojas continue to hold a commanding point lead – now at 49. They need only to place 12th or better in each of their last three races to win the 2008 Rolex Sports Car Series driver and team championships – one spot better than the 11th they needed prior to Friday’s race. The rainy conditions were no more favorable for the #3 Southard Motorsports Lexus driven by Shane Lewis and Bill Lester. The team fell back early, losing a lap and never were able to fight back, eventually placing 15th.
The Ganassi team had their Championship lead cut after a bad weekend
Ganassi Racing
WATKINS GLEN, NY (Aug. 8, 2008) -- Changing weather conditions caught up to the #01 Ganassi Lexus and the result was a 13th place finish in Friday's Crown Royal 200 at Watkins Glen and the end of the team's record top-10 streak at 29 consecutive races.
After qualifying fifth on Friday, Memo Rojas quickly moved up to third on the first lap and then claimed the second position for a short stint early as the race started in wet conditions. Unfortunately, as the track began to dry, Rojas fell back quickly. He eventually stopped to change to slick tires, losing a lap and falling back to 18th-place. Things took an even greater turn for the worse at that point, as the rain began to resume on the first lap after the team exited the pits. Rojas regained a number of positions up to 14th, but eventually spun, losing a second lap. Shortly afterward, Rojas pitted just past the 30-minute mark of the race with teammate Scott Pruett assuming the driving duties in 18th-place now three laps down. The veteran eventually made up one lap, but could gain just five positions through the remainder of the event to place 13th -- the team's worst showing in more than two years.
Despite the disappointing finish, Pruett and Rojas continue to hold a commanding point lead -- now at 49. They need only to place 12th or better in each of their last three races to win the 2008 Rolex Sports Car Series driver and team championships -- one spot better than the 11th they needed prior to Friday's race.
The rainy conditions were no more favorable for the #3 Southard Motorsports Lexus driven by Shane Lewis and Bill Lester. The team fell back early, losing a lap and never were able to fight back, eventually placing 15th.
The Rolex Sports Car Series will be off next weekend before resuming at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on Aug. 23, for Round 12 of 14.
Michael Shank Racing
Double Top-ten for Michael Shank Racing at Watkins Glen
Patterson takes Trueman medal after mixed-condition night at the Glen
(Watkins Glen, NY) 8 August 08 - Michael Shank Racing added to the team's tally of double top-ten Rolex Sports Car Series finishes on Friday evening as Mark Patterson and Oswaldo Negri finished the Crown Royal 200 eighth in the No. 60 Hospital For Special Surgery Ford-Riley, with the sister No. 6 of John Pew and Ian James taking the checkered flag close behind in ninth.
The two-hour sprint event started on a track still wet from an earlier rain shower, which then dried early in the race only to then see return of wet and challenging conditions with another series of rain showers before finally becoming fully dry in the second half of the race.
Starting the race on dry tires, Pew and Patterson got off to a quick start, and held on tight as the rains came in midway through their stints. With a keen eye on overall race strategy, the team kept the duo out as long as possible before making a tire and driver change within the Grand-Am mandated time window.
That strategy played nearly perfectly, save for a quick spin by Patterson, who was agonizingly close to the pit in at the time.
The conditions improved, and accordingly so too did the times for Negri and James after they took the controls to close out the two-hour Daytona Prototype-only event. The field experienced countless different strategies, as the rain came and went, playing havoc with any tire theory nearly as soon as it was developed.
But the strong pace that both Michael Shank Racing Ford-Riley entries showed in practice and qualifying wasn't to be denied, as the team rallied to come home with both cars in the top ten. The Crown Royal 200 podium celebrations also marked the return of the Trueman Award medal ceremony as Patterson once again participated in a Watkins Glen podium celebration.
Despite the honor, Patterson was still frustrated by his own spin and a subsequent penalty for speeding in pit lane.
"I am just disappointed for the team to have that happen on my favorite track with a car that was just so fantastic to drive," said Patterson. "The conditions kept changing and I was on the radio with the team, talking about when to come in and we'd just decided to come in on the next lap, but the car just got away from me for a split second and that was that. But it's good to at least come away with this Trueman Award and that's some consolation. I feel for the team because our cars were fantastic this weekend and how Ozz got us back to 8th after taking over back where we were, I have no idea…"
"The car was great," said Negri and offering his answer on how he was able to make up the lost ground. "The voltage was coming down and I could tell that the motor was missing just a little bit at the high rpm's but we were still very fast at the end. I felt like we had a car to win today, but racing sometimes unfolds in ways you don't expect and that was just what happened today. After what happened in Montreal, my focus is just to get Mark the best position possible in the championship and support him 100% with that. We never give up, and we fought all the way to the finish today. So long as the cars are as fast as they were today, we know that the big results will come."
The rainy outing was much more satisfying for Pew than the Mid-Ohio event in June, as he relished running on the high-speed Glen short course layout despite the highly challenging, and constantly variable, track conditions.
"That was a great challenge for the drivers because for a while, the track was different every lap and you had to just fight to find whatever grip you could out there," said Pew, who continues to build his own momentum in the Trueman Award championship standings. "But I love this track and the car was great. The team did a great job to have a car that was fast in the dry, but still very driveable in the wet, so I'm really happy with my stint. Congrats to Mark on getting the Trueman medal tonight, but hopefully I can get him back at Infineon."
"There wasn't too much we could do at the end with the way the field was sorted out," said James. "So even though the car was very quick, we just didn't get to make up any more ground at the end so I just brought it home in good condition and stayed out of trouble."
The Rolex Team Championship standings, which currently provisionally have the Michael Shank Racing entries 5th (No. 60) and 8th (No. 6), are sporting razor-thin margins and continuing to tighten every round, something that everyone is mindful of.
"It's great to come home with two cars in the top ten, but on the other hand we know we could have potentially had two cars in the top five if the conditions had played our way a little bit," said team owner Mike Shank. "So to have such a great weekend with really fast cars but not come out of here with a little more advantage points-wise is a bit of a disappointment. But we have to be happy with the job everyone did this weekend and the cars don't have a scratch on them, so now we can head home and get working on preparing for Infineon right away."